70% of Syrian population needs humanitarian aid

UN Deputy Special Envoy Najat Rochdi. (Source: Executive Bulletin)

According to Ms. Najat Rochdi, 2024 will become the most violent year in Syria since 2020, the risk of even greater devastation, millions of Syrians still have to take refuge abroad or struggle to survive in a complex context where the de facto government, foreign armies, armed non-state forces and terrorist groups are present.

In addition, Israeli airstrikes have increased significantly, both in frequency and scale. Most recently, an Israeli airstrike on November 20 near Palmyra killed dozens of people and was the bloodiest Israeli attack on the country in history.

Speaking to the Security Council, the head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Edem Wosornu said that more than half a million people have fled from Lebanon to Syria since late September to escape Israeli airstrikes. Even before this wave of displacement, up to 70% of the Syrian population (about 16.7 million people) were in need of humanitarian assistance.

The impact on food security is particularly alarming, with nearly 13 million people facing acute food insecurity in Syria, the fifth highest in the world , according to UN officials. Meanwhile, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) has been forced to reduce its aid by 80% in the past two years due to funding cuts.